Chapter 42
Tsok
The second day of the wedding ceremony was much smaller than the first. It was a more intimate affair, taking place in the gardens of Fellbud Manor – the place he would be claiming his mate. The guest list was short, featuring only their close friends. Davard was there, of course, as was Senior Boktare and Fia and more of his friends. Misty had friends from her salon there as well, including Flik. The male she had grown close to offered them a heartfelt congratulations before asking questions about the ceremony and what it was like.
That male, Tsok was sure, would make sure he had a ceremony himself the moment he found a mate to take him.
The High Imperium wasn’t there, though they had been invited. Tsok and Misty received an apologetic denial in return, stating that they were needed back on Holotulle, but that they would happily see them again in the future.
Their mission on Kree, whatever it was, had been completed, and they’d given their gift, so they were leaving just as abruptly as they came. Tsok was more curious than Misty as to what the Imperium was up to, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Whatever it was, they had their reasons.
Besides, how could he be focused on the esoteric desires of the most mysterious figure in the Coalition when compared to his female?
Misty had dressed up for their hunt today. The dress she chose wasn’t as elaborate as her wedding gown, but it was lovely and sensual in a completely different way. She’d kept to her color scheme, but she’d reversed it. So, today, she wore a white silken dress, trimmed in black lace. The sleeves were tight up to the wrist before flaring around her hand. The bodice, similarly, was tight until it flared into the skirt that swirled sweetly around her luscious thighs. She left her hair down today, but curled it so that the short strands turned into waves that barely brushed her shoulders.
Stunning. Glorious. The sight of her legs, especially that one with the pretty flowers inked into her skin, had him hypnotized throughout the morning breakfast and the party afterwards. They were scheduled to go into Fellbud Manor together at midday, but the marks seemed to drag on and on as he waited for the arrival of their moment.
Accept his instincts, Boktare had said. Let them guide his actions.
Well, his instincts were screaming at him to end all this pomp and celebration and take his female away where he could scent and fuck and breed her like she deserved. Like they both craved. To end this facade of civility they were painting over the rut.
But he didn’t. Because he was proving a point. And because Misty looked like she was having such a good time as she moved among the guests. Chatting and laughing with everyone. She was beautiful, and he was impatient.
When did a single mark become so long?
It was an eternity before Misty finally sent him a look, and the rest of the guests got their own coy, expectant expressions on their face. Tsok gave up looking at the time a while ago, not when it didn’t seem to be moving, but he knew exactly what those looks meant.
Taking Misty by the hand, he led her, as slowly as he could force himself to walk, to the exit of the gardens, to the path that led back to the front of Fellbud Manor.
“Friends!” Tsok called out over the gathered crowd that were all smiling at them. “Thank you for the joy of your presence here today. We greatly appreciate it. We also welcome you to stay as long as you like and enjoy yourselves. We’ll let you know when we’ve emerged.”
Davard, who would be the one making sure they got food and water while in seclusion, walked with them to the door of the manor. He was the last face they saw as the door shut behind them. Tsok was maybe a bit too eager setting the locks that sealed them inside, but he could feel the final, frayed ends of his patience barely holding on.
He turned back in the entrance hall and faced his soon-to-be-mate with his heart pounding hard in his chest while his cock began to emerge. Like it knew what was coming. There was a sizzling energy throughout his entire body, begging him to get started already.
But he was slow and deliberate as he approached his female. She faced him confidently, hands clasped behind her back, pushing out her generous chest to his growling approval.
“You nervous?” She asked, her voice breathy and excited.
“No,” he said, quite confident.
“Oh?”
“Did you expect me to be?”
“Actually, yes.” She chuckled. “You haven’t deliberately sniffed someone since, what? You were a child?”
“It will be interesting to go through life without needing the filter anymore,” he admitted. “It will be nice, and strange, to have my sense of smell available to me at all times. Not just when I’m in a scrubbed, sterile, isolated room. But I’m not nervous about mating you. I’ve never been more certain about something in my life. If anything, I should be asking you that.”
She shook her head, still smiling. “I’m okay. I’m a little nervous, but it’s that nervousness before you get on a really fast roller coaster. I know I’m going to have a good time, but the journey is going to be a wild ride.”
“It certainly will be,” he growled in agreement, putting one hand on her hip, pulling her close. Grinding his erection gently into her belly.
She giggled, petting his braids again. She really loved them. He rather liked them himself. They were a mark she had left on him. The fact that they were temporary only made it better, because this was a mark she had to willingly and repeatedly refresh. Proof of her devotion. He knew that it was her job to braid others, but she didn't enjoy touching and stroking their braids like she did his.
“So, how should we do this?” She asked, tilting her head curiously.
“Your filter first,” he responded without hesitation. “The females don’t lose their minds to the rut. And we already know you can scent me without issue. So, regardless, the female would remove her filter first.”
Misty nodded and lifted her hands, but she stopped at the last moment and let them drop again. She gave him a smile.
“Do it for me.”
A pleased growl built in his chest. That seemed exactly right. Though he knew it wouldn’t affect her the way it would him, he was still eager to remove the filter himself.
It was so small, designed for her face, not his. He grasped it in a single hand, flipping the lock at the bottom, then lifting it up and away from her face. The loop inside that went around her septum, locking it in place, smoothly retracted even before he moved it away.
And her adorable little nose flared as she sniffed, getting her first breath of unfiltered air since, at least, this morning, since he didn't imagine she’d slept in it.
Tsok dropped the filter to the floor, letting it bounce away as she smiled at him.
There were no more words as she reached for his filter. He kept still, every cell in his body humming with anticipation as her deft little fingers easily flipped the same latch, unhooking it from around his septum, and doing the same thing, pulling it up and off.
Tsok’s breath was caught in his lungs. He hesitated to breathe in again. Misty took away the filter, letting it drop as he had hers, while she took a step back. Looking at him expectantly. Curiously. The air strained with anticipation.
Tsok inhaled.
Misty’s scent was all over the manor. It was all over him. Just waiting for the moment he took that final breath of sterile air...
It was like being struck by lightning.
His heart plummeted, then rose, racing like he was facing the end of his life and it was determined to get in every beat possible. But he couldn’t think to be worried about that. He couldn’t think at all. All the neurons in his brain were completely fried and overloaded.
Because this was his mate.
He knew that before. Of course, he did.
But he didn't know .
He didn't feel it deep in his chest, squeezing his lungs and choking him with the absolute certainty of that knowledge. He knew her now. He would have known if he’d never seen her, never knew her name, never spoken to her. This scent, bright and spicy, was all he needed. It was filling up his lungs, replacing his need for air, rewriting everything he thought he knew in his mind.
Because this was his mate .
The center of his universe.
His very reason for being.
She said something. Her head cocked to the side. It might have been his name. It turned into a rushing sound in his ears, and he really didn't care what she said.
She was so pretty. So lovely. And her scent…
He took in another deep breath. Filling his lungs to the point his ribs ached. Needing her to fill him; needing to consume her.
With a painful throb, his cock fully extruded. So sensitive, the silk of his pants was painful against the heated, slick flesh.
It wasn’t just his cock. His entire body was heated. Something was burning deep in his gut. Every muscle suddenly on fire. He was acutely aware of each breath he took, laced with her scent, making it worse. Like fuel to the blaze roaring through him.
She repeated his name again. More cautiously this time.
Her voice was so pretty. He needed to hear it moaning in pleasure. Screaming in ecstasy. He needed her under him so he could claim and fill her. Breed her.
He needed to breed his mate.
She gasped, taking a step back. She got no further away from him. Distantly, he was aware that he had taken a step forward, but most of his focus was on his clothes. They were tight and constricting and damned uncomfortable. He was aware of the fabric tugging and resisting him as he yanked and pulled at it, trying to get it off !
Misty blinked. Then laughed. She took another step back. He followed. Still tugging at his clothes, frustrated by how tight and constricting the robes were. But as much as that bothered, he was more concerned with the distance between them.
There should be no distance. No space. He needed to breathe her, taste her, fill her, until their bodies were so intertwined, there was no separating them. Did she not realize that? Why was she still stepping back ?!
A wicked smile crossed her face.
She turned and ran.
Tsok roared, immediately giving chase. Hunting down his mate. Needing to fuck her. Needing to breed her. Needing to claim her!